Import from Deployment Configuration Dialog

The dialog box is available only when the PHP and Remote Hosts Access plugins are installed and enabled. The plugins are not bundled with IntelliJ IDEA, but they can be installed from the JetBrains plugin repository as described in Installing, Updating and Uninstalling Repository Plugins and Enabling and Disabling Plugins. Once enabled, the plugins are available at the IDE level, that is, you can use them in all your IntelliJ IDEA projects.

The dialog box opens when you click the Import button on the toolbar of the Servers page.

In this dialog box, choose a configuration to access the application on the server and use the host and port settings from it.

Item

Description

Deployment

From this drop-down list, choose the server access configuration (deployment configuration) to copy the server access settings from. The list contains all the available deployment configurations. To create a new configuration, click and specify new settings in the Deployment: Connection Tab dialog box that opens.

In the text box below, specify the absolute path to the server deployment root folder, the name of the text box depends on the type of the selected server access configuration: Absolute path to the deployment root for FTP/SFTP/FTPS or Remote path to the mounted folder for Local or mounted folder.

If you are not sure about this absolute path, you can open the Remote Host tool window, choose the required deployment configuration, position the cursor at the root folder, and choose Copy Path on the context menu, see Accessing Files on Web Servers for details. Alternatively, contact your hosting provider.

Absolute path to the deployment root/ Remote path to the mounted folder

Depending on the type of the server access configuration chosen from the Deployment drop-down list, specify one of the following:

For an FTP, SFTP, or FTPS server access configuration, specify the absolute path to the server deployment root. This path will be added as a prefix to the path from the Root Path text box on the Deployment: Connection Tab.

If you are not sure about this absolute path, you can open the Remote Host tool window, choose the required deployment configuration, position the cursor at the root folder, and choose Copy Path on the context menu, see Accessing Files on Web Servers for details. Alternatively, contact your hosting provider.

For Inplace Server configurations no mappings are required because the local and remote paths are the same in this case.

Preview

The area shows the host/port and the path mappings retrieved from the chosen server access configuration (deployment configuration).

When you choose the deployment configuration to use, the Absolute path on the server field shows relative paths mapped to the project files and folders in the chosen configuration, that is, paths to files and folders relative to the deployment root. As you specify the absolute path to the deployment root (the server root for FTP/SFTP/FTPS or the mounted folder), the contents of the field are updated automatically and finally the field shows absolute paths on the server.

Specify how IntelliJ IDEA will set up correspondence between files on the server and their local copies. Based on these mappings, IntelliJ IDEA will open local copies of currently processed files.

Select the Use path mappings checkbox if you are working on a remote Web server, that is, when the Web server is on a physically remote host, or the Web server is installed on your machine but your project is outside the Web server document root. Also select the checkbox if you are using symlinks.

Map the absolute paths to the files and folders on the server with absolute paths to your project files in the local file system using the Path on server and File/Directory fields respectively.

File / Directory: This read-only field displays the files and folders of the current project. Select a file or a folder to be used as the local copy.

Path on server: In this filed, specify the absolute path to the file or folder on the target server to which the selected local file or folder corresponds. Type the path manually or select it from the drop-down list.

Clear the Use path mappings checkbox if you are working right on your Web server so your project root is under the server document root. In this case the absolute paths to the files on the Web server and the absolute paths to the corresponding files in your project are the same.

If you do not specify any path mappings and start debugging an application that is not under the server document root, IntelliJ IDEA displays an error message: The Click to set up path mappings link brings up the Resolve Path Mappings Problem dialog box, where you can define the path mappings:

When you click OK and leave the dialog box, IntelliJ IDEA selects the Use path mappings checkbox on the Servers page automatically.